Epidemiological aspects of cancer at the public health system in Porto Alegre -RS

Abstract

Epidemiological researches have been essential for the understanding of some diseases , including cancer, a malignant disease that has been reported since ancient times. Cancer causes abnormal changes in an ordinary cell, which quickly disseminate to other tissues. Cancer data collection, through the analysis of death certificates and, afterwards, by population-based cancer registries, has provided important information about the extent of this disease among a specific group of the population. Analyzing some specific types of cancer made possible the association of its incidence with some factors like gender , age, lifestyle, nutrition, genetics, and environmental effects. In Brazil, there is a lack of registries and epidemiological data about cancer- incidencerates, so it urges to track evidence of neoplasias, as 10.8% of all deaths were related to this disease in 1994; this requires actions to be taken by the Government and health professionals to control the disease. In 1998, in order to create a database on cancer occurrences, and to further plan preventive and therapeutic strategies, the Brazilian Health Ministry created a system, named "Authorization for High-Cost Medical Procedures in Oncology (APAC/ONCO)". Following the federal initiative, the Health Secretariat of Porto Alegre, through its division responsible for the management and granting of APAC/ONCO procedure authorization in the city, is keeping an updated database on cancer treatments since the year 2000. From this date on, it's possible to track the epidemiological profile of oncology patients treated by the Brazilian Public Health System (SUS) in Porto Alegre.